Page 32 of Perfectly Charmed Pixie

Parsnip

I shouldn’t have looked. I knew better. Trolling the internet and lurking around Letty Fox’s website was never a good idea and always pissed me off.

“That fucking witch!” I hissed. “Why can’t she leave me alone?”

Usually, attention was what every social pixie craved. But there was a fine line between adoration and stalking. Letty didn’t adore me. In fact, I got the feeling she loathed me. Then again, that might not be true either. Letty saw me as a means to an end. She was even more hooked on social media than most pixies I knew. She was an attention whore, and she wanted it at whatever price needed to be paid. In this case, she saw me as the currency for more viewers, more subscribers, and more fame.

There I was, standing next to Divia outside of Dusk. She’d been there, hiding in the surrounding area. I’d known. Something inside me, something heightened after what happened with Jed, knew she’d been there—lurking.

Grabbing my phone, I pulled up Solen’s number, punching the screen far harder than necessary. At a little after 7:00 a.m. in Virginia, it was way too early to call my fairy lawyer in Washington State. I didn’t give a damn.

Solen answered on the second ring.

“There is no evidence she broke the law, Parsnip,” Solen said before I could get a word in.

“What do you mean? There’s a damn picture of me and Divia on her blog. She’s got photos of me in the past with little arrows pointed at different parts of my hair, comparing the color.”

“And you and I both know that technology, being what it is, can photograph someone from great distances. Photos can also be easily doctored to appear in any way one wants. The picture appears to be taken from afar. There is no evidence Letty Fox was within the designated twenty feet.”

“That’s bullshit, and you know it.” I was beyond irate. I was scared. Fear was a powerful force, and right now, it was riding me hard and making me stupid.

It was never wise to piss off a fairy. Silence met my rant. My heavy breathing echoed back to me while there was little more than white noise on Solen’s end.

Thirty, then sixty seconds slipped by, and still nothing. When a full two minutes passed and my breathing evened out, Solen asked, “Are you finished?”

My ire instantly flashed red, but it was fleeting. I tired easily, and anger amplified my exhaustion. Rubbing my forehead, elbows on my knees, and wings silent at my back, I sat on the edge of my bed, hating the fear taking over. I was so damn tired of feeling that way, of always being on edge, of sitting on the precipice of destruction. I’d always thought my downfall would come from without, but the longer my deception continued, the more I wondered if it wouldn’t be due to internal collapse.

“Yeah.” The word was little more than a whisper. “I’m done.”

“Good.” Solen didn’t scold me. He should have, but he didn’t. “Do you want me to file charges against her? Beyond the restraining order, we’ve avoided doing so in the past. Perhaps it is time to revisit that plan. If you believe Letty Fox’s actions and claims are slandering your reputation, we would have grounds.”

My eyes slipped closed. “No. That’ll just bring her more attention.” It would also draw more attention to a topic I wanted to throw ice water on, not gasoline. “Letty doesn’t have many followers so far. A lawsuit would change that.”

“Agreed. I simply wanted to know if you had changed your mind. I realize her continued presence in your life is upsetting. I am following Witch Fox’s comings and goings. She posts often, and it is not difficult to discover where she is.”

I scoffed. “You don’t have to follow Letty’s blog to know that. All you need to do is ask where I’m filming, and that’ll be just as informative.”

“I will not argue that point,” Solen conceded. “You must understand that there is little I can do until Letty breaks with the law. Once she does, I will move swiftly. There is little more I can offer.”

I knew, but that didn’t mean I had to like it. It also didn’t mean I needed to be such an asshole about it either. “I’m sorry for calling so early, Solen. I didn’t mean to wake or disturb you.”

“While that is appreciated, it is also unnecessary. I am hardly affected by such outbursts. I am your lawyer, Parsnip. You may call me anytime. That is what I am here for.”

What Solen didn’t say was that was what I paid him for. I had no illusion that Solen was watching out for my well-being out of the kindness of his fairy heart. Some wondered if fairies even had hearts—both in the literal and emotional sense. Fairy anatomy was unknown. Everyone assumed their underlying biology was similar to other mammalian species, but no one knew for certain. Assumptions could be, at best, stupid and, at worst, dangerous.

Regardless of why Solen was being understanding, I said, “Thanks, Solen.”

“You are welcome,” he answered before ending the call.

Pulling the phone from my ear, I stared at the darkening screen. I was tempted to call Parsley, but I’d just wake him up for no good reason. It wasn’t like my brother could do anything about Letty Fox. I’d just worry him, and if I knew Parsley, he’d find out soon enough. I wasn’t the only brother lurking on Letty’s blog site.

Spreading my wings out flat, I flopped back on my bed, arms akimbo, the phone still in hand. The rental house’s ceiling was pristine white. It was pretty, if not a little sterile. It was nice as temporary housing but wasn’t my style. Parsley often teased me that I had a little home-and-hearth tendency in me. I liked nesting. I just didn’t get a lot of opportunities to stay in one place for long. I’d considered purchasing a home, but it seemed like a waste. Besides, when I had downtime, Parsley’s house called out to me time and time again. My brother was more my home than the walls surrounding him.

Early as it was, the winter sun was just beginning to lighten the morning sky. Dim, gray light filtered into the bedroom. Thoughts of Vander Kines snuck their way into my brain. He’d said my new charm would be ready before my current one failed. I wasn’t sure why, but I believed him. Warlocks weren’t always to be trusted, but he’d gone so far as to bind himself to a fairy-silence pact. That would have been an incredibly idiotic thing to do if he had ill intentions.

My neck warmed, seeping into my cheeks. Vander Kines was handsome. He wasn’t the typical male I went for…not that I reallywentfor anyone these days. I was so wrapped up in maintaining my secret that I hardly had time for a libido. I’d started to think the damn thing was dead. Vander Kines made me rethink that theory.

“He’s gorgeous,” I said to absolutely no one at all.

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